Texas A&M University (TAMU) HIST105 History of the United States Practice Exam

Maryland was established as a refuge for Catholics by Lord Baltimore, primarily as a response to the discrimination and persecution that Catholics faced during that period in England. In 1632, Lord Baltimore, whose real name was Cecilius Calvert, received a charter from King Charles I to create a colony where Catholics could settle and practice their faith freely. This was particularly significant as it offered a sanctuary in an era when Protestantism was dominant and Catholics often faced hostility and exclusion.

Maryland's founding principles included religious tolerance, which was codified in the Maryland Toleration Act of 1649, one of the first laws granting religious freedom in the colonies. This act allowed all Christians, regardless of denomination, to practice their religion without fear of persecution, although it did not extend full rights to non-Christians.

The other options do not fit this context: Virginia was primarily established for economic opportunities and profit through tobacco; Georgia was founded later as a buffer colony and a place for debtors and the poor; and South Carolina was founded as a colony primarily for economic reasons with an emphasis on rice and indigo cultivation, rather than as a refuge for a specific religious group.